At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Tanecha Johnson, who knew the whole history, had no problem talking about it. Her mother had prayed over the house before the family moved in. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise less

At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Tanecha Johnson, who knew the whole history, had no problem talking ... more

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At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Tanecha Johnson, right, who knew the whole history, had no problem talking about it. Her mother had prayed over the house before they moved in. Her daughter Nayla Johnson, sat next to her. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise less

At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Tanecha Johnson, right, who knew the whole history, had no problem ... more

Photo: Dave Ryan

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At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

Photo: Dave Ryan

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At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Part of the murder took place in this kitchen. Tanecha Johnson, who knew the history, had no problem talking about it. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise less

At 8655 Newfield Lane, where high school student Bill Travis stabbed his parents and best friend in 1994, the Johnson family now lives. Part of the murder took place in this kitchen. Tanecha Johnson, who ... more

Photo: Dave Ryan

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At 895 North 4th Street, Coty Day was fatally shot in 2008. The house was empty as of Thursday January 12, 2012. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

At 895 North 4th Street, Coty Day was fatally shot in 2008. The house was empty as of Thursday January 12, 2012. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

Photo: Dave Ryan

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At 3030 Magnolia Street, Millet Harrison Jr. stabbed and dismembered his mother in 1994. The home appeared occupied Thursday January 12, 2012, but no one answered the door. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

At 3030 Magnolia Street, Millet Harrison Jr. stabbed and dismembered his mother in 1994. The home appeared occupied Thursday January 12, 2012, but no one answered the door. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

Photo: Dave Ryan

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At 2030 Rosewood Lane, Joshua Allen shot his wife Martha in 2008, and then turned the gun on himself. He survived and was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

At 2030 Rosewood Lane, Joshua Allen shot his wife Martha in 2008, and then turned the gun on himself. He survived and was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

Photo: Dave Ryan

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Owners of former murder homes move beyond spooky past

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When Nertha Jackson moved into her West End home around 2006, she walked from room to room offering blessings.

Though it had been more than a decade since a Beaumont couple and a teenage boy were killed inside, Jackson wanted to pray over the house before she moved in, said her daughter Tanecha Johnson.

"The Lord is in this home," Johnson said. "We're a Christian family, so it's just an ordinary house."

It's a history Johnson said she and her family knew about, though their faith gave them reason to overlook such a background.

"I'm pretty sure if I didn't have that, I'd tell momma we need to sell the house," she said Thursday.

In an already tough real estate market, homes with a history of violence can pose a new challenge for those looking to sell.

Texas Property Code doesn't specifically address the issue of whether sellers must tell buyers about a homicide on property, though it does say they have no legal obligation to disclose a natural death, suicide or accident unrelated to the condition of the property.

Still, local real estate agents said it is good practice to inform potential buyers if someone has been killed on the property. Those who don't could be setting themselves up for a lawsuit, said RE/MAX agent Hester Bell.

"For some people, it absolutely makes a difference," Bell said. "You do need to disclose it, of course. I like to tell everything you know about a house."

Telling a buyer about such an incident isn't always a death sentence, so to speak.

Meagher said in her experience, an on-site homicide does not have much effect on a home's value. Houses that have been used to manufacture methamphetamines, in fact, are far more damaging to the bottom line.

"Very hard to remediate," she said.

While those homes can be difficult to fix, former crime scene houses can see a marked improvement with some new carpet or a fresh coat of paint, Meagher said.

"Most sellers would take it up, change it up, give it a fresh new look," she said. "A start for someone else."

Inside the four walls, memories are what make a house a home. A part of its history is gone each time someone moves out.

"They left, and the Lord came in," Tanecha Johnson said of 8655 Newfield's past residents.

At a house where two Vidor women were fatally shot in 2009, letters of one woman's surname remain stickered on the side of the mailbox. At a Beaumont apartment where a disabled woman was bludgeoned in 1996, current renters leave Christmas decorations on the windows well into January for passersby to see.

And at a Magnolia Street home where in 1994 a Beaumont woman was brutally killed and dismembered by her son, three cars sit parked in the driveway and a screen door creaks back and forth in the wind.